Salsa + Ballet = Karate World Champion

After many years of supporting himself with part time jobs and running karate training sessions to support his dreams, Jordan’s persistence was finally rewarded in August with confirmation from the IOC (International Olympic Committee) that Karate will be making its long awaited debut at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.

The big question though, is what training secrets can Jordan reveal that have helped him on his way to greatness? After all it isn’t easy to become Karate World Champion and the 2018 Ten K Karate Clash winner. The answer may surprise you, but the OPRO brand ambassador is quite open about his unusual extracurricular training activities.

“I do a lot of Salsa dancing, I have done for a while.”

When asked how he got into salsa dancing the response was a little surprising, “I started Salsa for leisure but my dad and step-mum both taught it. As a 16 year old I sort of resented it, but I soon realised it was pretty cool.”

His candid answer is somewhat shocking when you consider that Thomas’ father, William Thomas, is both a past European Champion (1986) and a World Champion (1992). William Thomas is now the coach for the Hong Kong Karate team, who could potentially be facing off against Jordan at Tokyo in 2020. However, should one of Williams students face off against his son it is unlikely he could bring himself to cross the barrier due to a conflict of interest. And what a conflict to have.

The current World Champion also revealed another of his training secrets

“I have just found a ballet teacher and will be doing that in my personal time. Ballet will help me learn how my body works.”

Dance is a huge thing for Thomas because it’s all about learning body control, which is perfect for martial arts.

One item the current World Champ has become known for is his vibrant green mouthguard. Since becoming an OPRO Brand Ambassador he’s been able to embellish this with some evil looking snake eyes, making him truly stand out above the rest.